Edulight volume 4, issue - 8, nov 2015

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EDULIGHT
Volume 4, Issue 8, November, 2015 ISSN 2278-9545
International Multi-disciplinary, Peer Reviewed Print Journal
COUNCIL OF EDULIGHT
KALYANI, DISTRICT – NADIA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

2012
CO
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Volume 4, Issue 8, November, 2015 ISSN 2278-9545
EDULIGHT
International Multi-disciplinary, Peer Reviewed Print Journal
COUNCIL OF EDULIGHT
KALYANI, DISTRICT – NADIA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

EDULIGHT
International, Multi-disciplinary, Bi-annual & Peer-Reviewed Journal
Volume 4, Issue 8, November, 2015 [ISSN: 2278-9545]
Honourable Editor-In-Chief
Dr. Prabir Pramanick, Department of Bengali, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal
EDITOR
Mr. Ajit Mondal, Department of Education, Surendranath College for Women [CU], 24
Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata– 700009, West Bengal, India
BOARD OF EDITORS
Dr. Biplab Biswas, Department of Rabindra Sangit Dance Drama & Theatre Arts, Sangit
Bhavana,Visva-Bharati (Central University) Santiniketan, West Bengal, India
Dr. Ramana Maram, Department of Political Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Mr. Kalyan Kumar Sarkar, Department of Political Science, Kanchrapara College, WB.
Vijay Pd. Jayshwal, Kathmandu School of Law, Dadhikot, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Dr. Buddhadev Adhikary, Scholar, Department of Bengali, University of Kalyani, W.B.
Dr. S. K. Panneer Selvam, Deptt. of Education, Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu
Dr. Kajal Ganguly, Scholar, Department of Bengali, University of Kalyani, West Bengal
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Prof. Tony Bush, Faculty of Educational Leadership, University of Nottingham, U.K.
Prof. Tarak Kumar Pan, Shiksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal.
Prof. Sudharshana Rana, Department of Education, Himachal Pradesh University, H. P.
Prof. J. C. Soni, Dean, Faculty of Education, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh.
Prof. Soumitra Shekhar Dey, Department of Bengali, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Prof. Sanat Kumar Ghosh, Department of Education, Rabindra Bharati University, WB.
Prof. Hemlata Talesra, Smt. K. B. Dave College of Education, Gujarat, India
Prof. Goutam Paul, Department of Physiology, University of Kalyani, West Bengal
Prof. Bikash Roy, Department of Bengali, University of Gour Banga, West Bengal
Prof. Arindam Chattapadhya, Department of Bengali, Burdwan University, West Bengal
Prof. Jayanta Mete, Department of Education, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India
Dr. Utpal Biswas, Department of Computer Science, University of Kalyani, West Bengal
Dr. Tapas Kr. Bandhopadhya, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Kalyani
Dr. Swadhin Kr. Mandal, Department of Chemical Science, IISER-Kolkata, West Bengal
Dr. Nupur Sen, Department of Education, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Madhumita Bandyopadhyay, School of Non-Formal & Formal, NUEPA, New Delhi.
Dr. Jaya Singh, Department of Social Science, NCERT, New Delhi, India
Dr. Sushanta Kumar Roul, Faculty of Educational and Behavioral Science, Bahir Dar
University, Ethiopia
Prof. Nityananda Pradhan, Department of Extension Education, NERIE, NCERT,
Meghalaya.
Prof. Mahes Nath Parajuli, Department of Educational Leadership & Development Studies,
Kathamandu Univiversity, Nepal.
Dr. Ruby Ann L. Ayo, Bicol University, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy,
Philippines
EDITORIAL OFFICE
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E-mail: mondalajit.edn@gmail.com, 09433496340 [M]

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With thanks,
Kalyani, West Bengal
30th November, 2015
Editor, EDULIGHT Journal

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EDULIGHT
SL.
NO.
CONTENT
PAGE
NO.
1. Essence of Intellectual Capital - A Critical Factor for Future Value of an
Organization - Wendrila Biswas
1
2. Selfies and Social Identity - Debadyuti Karmakar 6
3. Can Myths Relate to the Problems of Indian Women?
- Dipanwita Chakrabarty
13
4. Educational Programs for Developing Values ---- A New Perspective
- Diptiman Ghosh
18
5. Internet Use by Teachers: A Study in CBSE Schools
- Dr. Biswajit Behera
23
6. Philosophy of Ancient Chinese Thinker Mencius and its Relevance in
Modern Day - Dr. Jayashree Medda (Khan)
28
7. Ambedkar as an Authentic Feminist - Dr. P. Ravi 32
8. Quality Concerns in Teacher Education Program: An Initiative - Eisha 37
9. A Study to Find out the Effects of Swamiji’s Music in Depression Level of
Students and Aged Person - JayantaAcharya
43
10. Impact of Health Related Physical Fitness and Nutritional Status on
Their Academic Performance - Mita Howladar
49
11. A Study on the Adjustment of VIII Class Student at Howrah District (Bally Area)
- Mousumi Chakraborty & Jayanta Acharya
58
12. Social Inclusion, Justice and Cohesion through Integrated Education
- Pratibha Garg & Saidalavi Kundupuzhakkal
67
13. Procrastination and Time Cultures: A General Overview
- Purbita Bose
72
14. Business in the New Millennium: Emerging Trends
Subtitle: Environment for Business - Sadhan Kr Paddhan
77
15. A Study on the Nature and Characteristics of Obese Undergraduate Boys
- Sucharita Roy Chowdhury
82
16. Vācaspati Miśra’s view on Gautama’s Definition of pratyakṣa: A Study
- Sujit Roy
85

SL.
NO.
CONTENT
PAGE
NO.
17. Crime in Kolkata: A Case Study
- Suman Das & Dr. Rajashree Dasgupta
92
18. A Study of Friedrich William August Froebel’s Educational Thought
- Aniruddha Saha
102
19. “Existential Crisis” in the Poetry of Philip Larkin - Bapi Das 107
20. A Comparative Study on Selected Physical Fitness Components between
Kabaddi and Kho-Kho Players - Debajyoti Haldar
112
21. Major Folk Theatre Forms of South Bengal: A Socio-Cultural and
Psychological Study - Dr. Sujay Kumar Mandal
116
22. Dalit Literature: A Voice from the Margins - Goutam Barman 123
23. Subhas Chandra Bose’ Philosophy of Democracy – In Search of a New
Paradigm - Professor (Dr.) Sumit Mukherji
129
24. Role of Civil Society in Good Governance - Ms. T. Rajani Kumari 136
25. Scheduled Tribe Parents Attitude towards Education and Academic
Achievement of their Children: A Correlational Study
- Dr. Ujjwal Kumar Halder
144
26. The Purpose of ICT among Higher Secondary Teachers in Relation to Their
Self – Image - Mrs. R. Jayanthi & Dr. S. K. Panneer Selvam
149
27. নারী শিক্ষা ও ক্ষমতায়নন স্বামীশির ভাবনা - তনুশ্রী নস্কর 154
28. lh£¾cÊcª¢ø-a -jOc§a : HL pj£r¡ - A¢fÑa¡ e¡b 156
29. ¢‚ßþ,ñ“þ ~î‚ £z‚öìîû‹# éôééô ~„þ!Ýþ ¢y”,ŸÄyd„þ xyöìœy‰þ˜y  164
30. "MÉÉänùÉxÉ' EÞò¹ÉEò VÉÒ´ÉxÉ EòÒ Eò°ühÉ Eò½þÉxÉÒ ½èþ-]ÅäõVÉäb÷Ò ½è
- b÷Éì. ®ú¨Éä¶É ªÉÉnù´É, +ÊºÉº]äõx]õ |ÉÉä¡äòºÉ®ú,
171
31. রবীন্দ্রনানের শিক্ষাশিন্তা - ড. িান্তনু গ ালুই 175
32.  183
33.  191

Volume – 4, Issue – 8, November, 2015 ISSN: 2278-9545
EDULIGHT – Multi-disciplinary, Peer Reviewed Print Journal 1
Essence of Intellectual Capital - A Critical Factor for Future Value of an Organization
Wendrila Biswas
Assistant Professor, School of Management & Social Science, Haldia Institute of
Technology, Haldia, West Bengal, India, E-mail: wendrila@rediffmail.com
ABSTRACT
With the shift from production based economics to knowledge based economics, there aroused the importance
of intellectual capital which has an immense importance and value for organizations than physical assets.
Talking whenever about business, the role of intangible assets in an organization has always topped the chart of
discussion but its relevance has acquired a tremendous gravity in today’s global business phenomena. From the
perception of the value creation process in an organization, Intellectual Capital has been a buzz word and it is a
high time to refocus attention to intellectual capital which are the ‘sophisticated drivers for corporate
performance’. The paper tries to throw light on the relevance of intellectual capital in the current economic
business environment and tries to underscore the contribution of intellectual capital to a company’s bottom line
and help in achieving sustainable competitive advantage and growth.
Key Words: Intellectual Capital, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Value Creation
Introduction
The business world today is characterized by globalization of economic activity, sophisticated and
demanding consumers, advancement of e-commerce, enhancement of productivity and quality of
products and services. Subsequently the perception of corporate value creation process has undergone
a substantial change. Today corporate houses give much thrust on the intangible assets of an
organization. These assets constitute one of the most important drivers of organization’s value
creation process. Intellectual capital as a type of intangible asset is one of such driver which shows us
a new outlook on intangibles in the business milieu. Intellectual capital is the most differentiating
factor in the business firm which prominently positions a firm on high note in the long run.
Intellectual capital can be described as knowledge that can be converted into value. Knowledge is
considered as a significant corporate asset. It is the most important element that drives the productive
resources and value to the business structure. Today, the global economy is shifting to knowledge
economy, in which intellectual capital is a key strategic resource in the competitive edge of business.
That is why the knowledge workers with competitive knowledge are stolen away by competitors.
Thus with the development of economy and enrichment of global business scenario intangible assets
are playing a dominant role. Here the importance of observable intellectual capital comes into scene
in the business firm that helps to execute their strategies to achieve better performance. Intellectual
capital in short refers to composition of all such assets that are created by the organization out of the
significant contributions made by their human assets (Manjunath, K.R, 2012). As the business world
is becoming more complex and competitive, challenge of sustainability is becoming more and more
crucial.
Intellectual capital and growth of the companies
Many authors have recognized that economic wealth comes from knowledge assets or intellectual
capital and its practical application. It is the source of innovation and economic benefit – the
precursor for the growth of financial capital of organization. Given the limited resources, firms today
put more thrust on creation of intellectual capital and prioritize this dimension which shows their
pragmatic market performance. It is quite often noticed that when an organizations enters into the
sequence of progressive stages, intellectual capital plays a pivotal role in accepting new challenges
and making developmental changes and promoting growth of the organization.

Source: Harrison S. & Sullivan, P., (2000), ‘Profiting from Intellectual Capital – learning from
leading companies’, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Vol. 1, No.1, pp - 37.
There are many factors which combine to increase the market value of an organization. Some of the
factors are closely related to intellectual capital. As for financial factors, investments are made in
human capital and make them more capable to develop better structural capital for an organization.
Together, human capital and structural capital create ‘productive external capital’ through better
product and services. The intellectual capital factor thereafter combines to create a good financial
performance. Granules India Limited has given a detailed flow chart to show how customers capital.
Source: Granules India Limited, Annual Report, 2012
Intellectual capital and competitive advantage
Intellectual capital is an imperative resource for creating wealth and the competitive advantage of the
firm. Competitive success of a strategy depends to a large extent on the firm’s invisible assets.
Strategic role of corporate reputation in gaining competitive advantage depends on a large scale on
the intellectual capital of a firm. Therefore, now it has become very essential to measure intellectual
capital as it help a firm formulate its business strategy, lead to development of key performance
indicators which would actually help the firm evaluate their strategy. Evaluating mergers and
acquisition also depend to a great extent on the measurement of intellectual capital. Finally it would
also help to communicate the stakeholders about what intellectual property the organization actually
hold. Prusak (1996) appropriately said, ‘The only thing that gives an organization a competitive
edge….is what it knows, how it uses what it knows, and how fast it can know something new.’ It is
quite obvious to extract profit from technological innovation. But it is equally important for the
organization to focus on extraction of value from the innovations of the intangible assets of the
Corporate
Vision
Corporate
Strategies
Intellectual
Asset
Management
Strategies
Value
Creation
Value
Extraction
Knowledge
of customers
need
Service
customers
better
High
customer
retention
Wider
customer
spread
Customer’s
reference
Business
reinvestment
Profit Growth Revenue
Growth
Revenue growth from customer

organization from a business perspective. Company’s intellectual capital – in other words- its
employees have much to do with its profitability and success. Harrison and Sullivan, in their article
‘Profiting from Intellectual Capital- learning from leading companies’ showed how a firm derives
value from their intellectual assets and thereby stand ahead in competitive advantage against others.
They highlighted the following diversity in the kinds of values that they obtain from their intellectual
capital.
1) Profit Generation
Income from products and services through:
- Sale
- Licensing royalties
- Joint venture income
- Strategic alliance income
2) Strategic Positioning
- Market share
- Leadership
- Standard setting
3) Acquiring innovation of others
- Creative mind
- New ideas
4) Improved productivity
- Learning new skills
- Becoming efficient
5) Customer Loyalty
- Understanding the needs of customer and thereby delivering in time service
Source: Sullivan, P.H. (1999), Profiting from intellectual capital. Journal of Knowledge
Management, 3(2): 132-142
That is why intellectual capital have been well defined as ‘the knowledge that can be converted into
future profit and resources such as ideas, inventions, technologies, design, processes and informatics
programs’ (Sullivan, 1999). It is to remember that talent constitutes one of the most important pillars
for growth of organization today as human talent is an important factor for inspiring changes. Human
talent has an underpinning power of sustainable competitive advantage of a company and has a
strategic role in building a productive business.

Can maximize knowledge, efficiency & Value
Organizational learning, intellectual experience
Innovativeness and responsiveness
Inspire Change
Provides impetus for growth & development
Source: Author
Intellectual Capital – Impacting future value and Managing Intellectual Capital
The word competitive advantage has undergone a profound transformation to sustainable competitive
advantage and to preserve this sustainability investing in physical assets solely no longer is in
scenario. But it is by investing in and managing intellectual capital that creates a deep impact in the
future value of the organization. The Society of Management Accountants of Canada, the American
institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
have clearly mentioned five unique steps to successful intellectual capital for future value of the
organization.
Identifying your Intellectual Capital
Mapping the Key Value Drivers
Measuring Intellectual Capital
Managing Intellectual Capital
Reporting Intellectual Capital
It is very important to manage intellectual capital in an organization and manage its risk. The
following points should be highlighted while managing intellectual capital:
Name the meeting approval
Use the value creation map to guide
the meeting structure and agenda
Informing Decision Making Use the key performance questions
to guide and focus the discussions
Use performance indicator to facilitate finding answers
Create an atmosphere of purpose, trust and respect
INTELLECTUAL
CAPITAL
SUSTAINED
COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE

Source: Marr, B., Management Accounting Guideline, ‘Impacting Future value: How to manage
your Intellectual Capital’.
Conclusion
Today Intellectual Capital has moved from the periphery to pivotal position of any business field.
Intellectual capital is not only an essential factor for organizational success but also helps to
accomplish their strategic objective. But this important value driver needs to be managed well in
order to reap the business benefits from it and improve company’s value to its shareholders and
stakeholders. Accumulation of intellectual capital as well as managing them is a continuous process.
If it is well managed then the organizational performance becomes much more pragmatic and worthy.
Thus it is quite clear that a firm’s intangible asset, its intellectual capital is often a major determinant
of the corporations’ profit.
References
 Dean, A.; Kretschmer, M. (2007). Can ideas be capital? Factors of production in the
 Post industrial economy: A review and critique. Academy of Management Review, 32(2):
 573-594. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2007.24351866
 Sullivan, P.H. (1999). Profiting from intellectual capital. Journal of Knowledge
Management, 3(2): 132-142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13673279910275585
 http://www.granulesindia.com/img/presentations/60.pdf accessed on 02.6.2015
 Prusak, L. (1996) “The knowledge advantage”, Strategy and Leadership, Vol. 24, March-
April, pp 6-8
 http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/content/dam/jofa/archive/issues/2008/09/mag-
intcapital-eng.pdf accessed on 31.10.2015.
 Marr, B., Management Accounting Guideline, ‘Impacting Future value: How to manage your
Intellectual Capital’
 Kocoglu, I, Imamoglu, S. Ince, H (2009), Journal of global Strategic Management (06), ‘The
relation between firm intellectual capital and the competitive advantage’, Page 181 – 208.
 Khamru, B. Karak, d. (2012), The Management Accountant Journal, ‘Intellectual Capital: An
emerging issue in the global Accounting Arena’

Selfies and Social Identity
Debadyuti Karmakar
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Prashanta Chandra Mahalonobis
Mahavidyalaya (P.C.M.M.), Kolkata-700108, West Bengal, E-mail:deb172008@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The 21st
century has witnessed tremendous advancement in technology. It has affected every corner of lives,
including our perceptions about others and vice-versa. Social networking sites have broken physical barriers,
giving relationships a new dimension. Self-portraits or selfies taken on smart phones are now instantaneously
shared with others online. Such images constantly built and rebuilt “social self”; affecting both photographer
and audience. These selfies reveal a new behavior that can be understood through the work of sociologists.
Based on case study method, the study seeks to understand why capturing and sharing self images have been a
sensation, the meaning that the images convey to others and the self that is built and re-built in the “virtual
presence “of others.
Introduction
Taking photos is one of the many interests that attract individuals; and apparently it may seem to be a
matter that is of personal choice and a pursuit not to be given enough concern of. Yet, with the advent
of smart phones and webcams, the idea of photography is redefined. Photography is now more easily
accessible for layman, as cheaper camera mobile phones are readily available, making self clicks to be
produced instantaneously. Besides, the popularity of SNS (social networking sites) have made the
pursuit of self photos to reach others within a matter of seconds, to make others notice of an
individual’s state of mind, his or her whereabouts and a lot of other information.
Self images or selfies taken on smart phones and sharing with others online is a matter that
attracts social scientists. Visual sociology, or the use of photographs to portray, describe, or analyse
social phenomena enables social definitions to be seen even more from the point of view from the
subject (Harper, 1988). Such images built and rebuilt social self, affecting both photographer and
audience. While some commentators have regarded selfie as an act of narcissism and objectification,
others have observed it as an attempt to promote ones desired identity (Kaufman, 2013). The social
self that is represented or formed is perhaps best understood in the arguments put forth by Symbolic
Interactionism. Based on case study method, the research seeks to understand why capturing and
sharing self images have been a sensation, the meaning the images convey to others, and the self that
is built and rebuilt in the ‘virtual presence’ of others.
Review of Literature
Photography and Sociology had its beginnings during the same decades in Europe, and were products
of same social events. Sociology came about as the result of industrialization and bourgeois
revolution in Europe; photography too was a child of industrial revolution and had the effect of
democratizing a new kind of knowledge. However, photograph study in sociology gained importance
only from 1960s onwards (Harper, 1988).
Visual sociology or the use of photographs, videos and films to study society can prove to be
a valuable tool to get an insight of individual behaviors. Sociologist Douglas Harper in an article titled
“Visual Sociology: Expanding Sociological Vision” has argued for the potential uses of studying
photographs in sociological research. For him, “a photograph, a literal rendering of an element of the
subjects’ world, calls forth associations, definitions, or ideas that would otherwise go unnoticed. The
subject may tell the researcher how to photograph a topic more completely or even how to approach
a topic from a completely different perspective.” The subject concerned shares the definition of

meaning; in other words the definitions are said to “reflect back from the subject.” “A further
variation is for people to photograph their environments (and comment on the photographs) to see
social definitions even more from the point of view of the subject.”(Harper, 1988)
The ushering of new mobile technology in the form of camera based smart phones has
redefined the desire to see oneself in front of lens. Phones now equipped with front facing cameras
enables the individual to take self photos in whatever settings he or she is in or in whatever manner.
Selfie, as the word is now widely popular, is defined by the oxford English dictionary as “a
photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smart phone or a webcam and
uploaded to a social media website.” It was declared word of the year in 2013, with the frequency of
its usage increasing by 17000% in the past year. However, there lies difference between what was
previously understood as self-portrait and new sensation selfie. While self portrait is associated with
the art of painting and is considered a serious pursuit, the selfie is something spontaneous and fun---
an act of self-indulgence. ( Harad, 2014).
Self, Sociology and selfie:
The act of taking selfie, or self images and sharing with others online is elucidated by the sociological
arguments/perceptions on self. The act of selfie denotes an identity of individual---- identity which is
reflexive. Sociologists have observed the social self as it occurs, and judged actions of individuals
according to the context it is acted; the meanings employed in perceiving their circumstances. When
sociologists argue about the development of self-identity, it refers to an organization of perceptions
about whom and what kind of person one is. The self is rooted in social interaction. Charles Horton
Cooley, best known for his concept of looking glass self, has argued that we see ourselves in the
reactions others give; ideas of self come from:
 Our imagining how we appear to other people.
 How we think they judge over appearance.
 How we feel about all this.
Thus, the sense of self is ever changing as me interacts with others (Hess, 1992). Yet another pioneer
of the Symbolic Interactionist tradition, George Herbert Mead, argued in a similar line with that of
Cooley. Mead was of the notion that individuals can be object to themselves, i.e., we can think about
ourselves in the same manner as we think about others. Talking about development of social self, he
argued that individuals internalize the attitudes of generalized others or the social group.
Celebrated sociologist Erving Goffman represented the self in a way in which the individual
presents himself to others, the ways in which he guides and controls the impressions they form of him
(Goffman, 1959). Using dramaturgical perspective, Goffman spoke about expressions given and
expressions given off, to describe the conventions others have about the actor that they assume to be
real behind action. The actor, as argued by Goffman, thus can deceive the audience about the
impression or judgment they make of him.
Yet another insight on the creation of self identity can be inferred from the idea of social
construction of reality as introduced by Berger and Luckmann. Berger and Luckmann (1996) noted
that persons or groups interacting with each other create overtime concepts or mental representations
of each other’s actions. These concepts eventually become habituated into reciprocal roles displayed
by the subjects in relation to each other, and when these roles are made available to other members of
society, these reciprocated interactions are then institutionalized as part of their social script.(Berger
and Luckmann, 1996) .Thus, the more self-images we are exposed to, the more we tend to form an
impression about the person concerned.

Researches on selfies have observed the phenomenon from diverse ways. While some
observed it as an act of narcissism, and objectification of bodies; others see it as an attempt to promote
desired identity and control over one’s own image. Selfies are representative of one’s instant
existence. Brooke Wendt(2014) argue that aelfies are only one picture at a time in our self-series.
Sociologist Peter Kaufman in an article entitled A sociological snapshot of selfies has observed the act
to be more social in nature than individual. He illustrated the social structural reality that exists behind
the act. For him, selfies arise out of social conditions of our lives, i.e. technology and cultural norms
influence the ways individual take and share photos. Talking about self, Kaufman spoke about
impression management and face work ---both terms coined by Erving Goffman to explain the
mechanism by which individuals present themselves to others in an effort to win their approval. Thus,
selfie serves as an attempt to promote one’s own desired identity and to elicit positive feelings from
the presumed judgment of others. (Kaufman, 2014). In a similar fashion, sociologist Nathan Palmer
argued selfies only reveal what the actor wants, including the response from the others. For him,
selfies are “that version of you is only part of the story. Each of us leaves out our low moments, the
pictures that make us look ugly and for the most part the struggles we face every day,”(Palmer, 2014).
Selfies offer medium of control, where the actors are in charge of image produced and all the editorial
decisions resides with the actor himself.(Leal, 2013).
Selfies serve as a tool for ordinary people, and are a means of expression. It is used to make
an impact in the minds of others; it also suggests our location (stock 2014). Jonathan Baek in a study
to analyze the recent trends of selfies found that users were selective in sharing self photos with others
as raw negative emotions are hardly posted out of fear of ridicule, misinterpretation and lack of
feedback, confusion and concern. Images shared have a lasting impact on the viewers as they hardly
forget the image, i.e. the impression it created even after it is removed from users account.
Furthermore, selfies are a means to pass time, share on social media, socializing, and for self
expression. It is a means to construct personal and group memory. (Baek, 2014).
The acts of selfie however have also been criticized by several social commentators. It is
viewed as an act of narcissism, which is defined as “a preoccupation with self and how one is
perceived by others. Narcissists pursue gratification from vanity and the admiration of their own
physical and intellectual attributes.”(educators technology.com, 2014). Besides, excessive exposure to
social media result in several psychiatric problems i.e. depression, addiction, obsessive compulsive
disorder and a host of other ill effects. Global development of selfies is seen as an extension of
bourgeoisie performances and growing networked individualism and symbol of late capitalism. Males
and females are commoditized as commodities for consumption and investment. Anyone who put
effort for their self presentation appears to desire the ideal self which is molded by capitalist society (
Has, 2014). Sociologist Bob Parr is of the opinion that the habit of sharing intimate images could
make youth vulnerable to sexual predators. Following celebrities and models, young girls sharing
images in scanty attire or suggestive poses fail to realize how such visual messages could be received.
The self images are received often as sex objects and such craze provides another opportunity for men
to demean women. Shona Sibary argued such images to be fake and unnatural and fails to capture a
person’s essence.( Leal, 2013). Social commentator Mukul Kesavan is of the opinion that selfies
enable surveillance as we share our whereabouts with others. Thus images make us both noticeable as
well as tracking ourselves easier than before. ( Kesavan, 2014).
Taking cue of the relevant literature on selfies, the study is intended to understand how the
personal act of selfie is itself a social product for the individual, the reactions it evokes to the audience
and the self that is created from the reactions of individuals. The study is expected to provide an
understanding on why selfie have been such a sensation.

Methodology
The research titled “Taking selfies: an insight on creating social identity” is undertaken with the
objective to understand how the concept of ‘self’ is socially constructed through the self images
shared with others, the desired identity the images convey and the nature of responses such images
evoke among viewers. To cater the objective, the responses have been gathered along the dimensions
of timeliness of the images, nature of images shared, responses received by such images, emotions
attached with the images and managing the responses of the images.
Method of Study: In accordance with the demands the research, qualitative research method has been
used. Case Study is undertaken in the study in order to get an insight into a current phenomenon
(selfie) in its real life situation. Moreover, the intended responses require the respondents to answer on
the basis of the images he or she has shared; hence an insight on their conceptions is important
enough for the purpose of the research.
Sampling: Convenient sampling technique is used for the research purpose. The number of
respondents selected are 20, belonging to the age group between 18-25 years.
Research Findings
The responses gathered are set across seven dimensions in order to meet with the desired objective of
the study. They are:
1) Nature of selfies shared (this refers to the expression of the selfie , the background or the
settings of the selfie).
2) Continuity of selfies( this refer to the series of selfies or the frequency of selfies shared.)
3) Selfies shared with group, public or both.
4) Expressing or concealing emotions while taking selfies.
5) Reaction on shared selfies by audience.
6) Impact on the person and makeover if any, done thereafter in accordance with the audience
reactions.
7) Level of authenticity of the images. (Whether the selfies are convincing enough to the
intended audience.)
Nature of Selfies Shared
The selfies shared are mainly with the intention of being the center of attraction, whether selfies are
clicked on occasions, celebrations or get together with family or friends. The social situations, even if
they seem to matter are mainly with respect to whether the person concerned is able to express him or
herself as the focal theme of the image. None of the respondents seemed to be willing to get their self
clicks spoilt just for the sake of an unsupported background.
Continuity of Selfies
Since selfies speak about the person concerned, the respondents felt only those moments which
convey ‘something interesting happening’ needs to be conveyed. Selfies are beyond mundane affairs,
and informing others about ones daily moments is not worth considered. Even when the frequency of
sharing increases, it is meant to inform about what the individual does that is worth enough to get
noticed.

Selfies Shared with Group, Public or Both
Selfies shared in public are intended for social cause or to spread a social message. Also, selfies
clicked with famous person or at places are publicly shared as the image is a conveyor of social
appreciation. While posts shared within a closed group have feelings attached that can only be
understood by group members. Also, for some selfies are for both group and public as social
networking sites are a medium of public appreciation.
Expressing or Concealing Emotions While Taking Selfies
Majority of the respondents with their selfies portrayed a jovial mood, as it depicts a happy, cute,
beauty and simplicity of individuals. So, suppressing off mood was what most of the individuals
viewed as all emotions are not meant for all; one has to express the ‘polished’ (expected) pattern in
public. It is also a kind of collective behavior as “I smile because my friends are doing the same.”
While few favoured to express all kinds of emotions through selfies as they felt it is the best way to let
others know what he or she actually is as a whole.
Reactions of Audience
Individuals generally get positive responses from audience, although a few comments may remark the
individual as unattractive, fat or dark. Respondents are of the opinion that selfies attach importance to
audience, so the credibility is maintained; selected selfies have more chances getting desired
responses. However, appreciating comments can be falsifying at times, as the individuals feel
audience pamper through such comments. the comments are based on cuteness, dresses and drop back
of image.
Impact on the Person and Makeover If Any Done Thereafter in Accordance with the Audience
Reactions
The respondents feel that since the images shared are their desired ones, generally public responses
are good. The respondents are aware of the public impressions or expectations, so selfies are posted
accordingly. For those responses which turn out unfavourable for the individual or have too many
suggestive reactions, the comments are either deleted or the viewers are barred from viewing future
selfies. Some change according to what is desired by others in order to conform to the flow; but
mostly, it does not affect much as happy moments are selected over others, expressions are changed if
any dislikes are felt. After all public impression is what selfie is meant for. Individuals feel too that
one can learn more about oneself while rectifying their expressions.
Level of Authenticity of Selfies
Keeping in mind with the social expressiveness, selfies are made with proper make up or attires, so as
to attract attention of viewers. Also, much of the selfies shared involve editing images on the easily
available user friendly softwares so as to set the desired theme to the public. Superficial emotions
thus, are conveyed. Also, gestures can play a pivotal role on the level of authenticity of selfies. Other
forms of expressions such as writing on ones’ own profile state more accurate feelings. However,
selfies are a reliable source in conveying the whereabouts or when with acquaintances, i.e. they tell
reality of a situation.
The above mentioned responses elucidate the notion of self as affected by social approval and the
desired way of making an identity through conveying such images. Superficially, selfies are regarded
as something which is under total control of individual expressions. But it is actually influenced by
wider social norms and expectations as the individuals try their level best to portray themselves as
much as socially approved ways through proper attire, posture or that convey social messages such as
community wellness. More importantly is the issue of suppressing emotions related to depression or

anxiety in favor of happiness, optimism and celebrations ----- all this to prevent rejection and social
disapproval. Some way or the other, individuals feel comfortable in maintaining the unstated social
order, any action involving threat to the order is avoided completely.
Thus, Mead’s notion of ‘me’ or social self is largely at play even when the individuals feel that they
have full control over selfies or that audience suggestions mostly do not matter. They already have
audience in mind, even when the personal act of selfie is undertaken a conception which is found in
Goffman’s notion of Dramaturgy. Moreover, the ways images are represented overtime provide
conceptions about or mental representations of the person concerned. In line with Berger and
Luckmann’s social construction of reality it can be argued that impression about the concerned person
gets reflected on the comments or reactions given by the audience as the respondents agreed that
seldom they got negative or undesired responses. Again, through adjustments of follow-up selfies post
viewers reactions justifies how self as such is so social a product with constant interactions and
impression creations.
The responses reveal certain corresponding ideas with that of similar researches, with few exceptions.
The study reveals corresponding results with that of Peter Kaufman as regarding the social nature of
selfie. The desired identity is disseminated and positive feelings are elicited. It also corresponds with
arguments put forth by Nathan Palmer and Jonathan Baek who argued that selfies reveal a part of the
emotions as low moments and negative emotions are hardly posted.
As far as narcissism is concerned, selfies reveal traits of such behavior as the respondents made it sure
that the attire and expressions should be worth enough to elicit a positive response from the audience.
However, such argument is a matter of debate. The respondents did not reveal any addiction towards
selfies even if they found it the best possible way to express themselves. The responses are dissimilar
to that of sociologist Bob Parr as no intimate images are taken or shared with others. Also the images
are taken in decent attire and with decent gestures as argued by the respondents. The question of
authenticity as argued by Shona Sibary is to a certain extent supported by some responses as socially
approved ways of behavior is always kept in mind while taking a selfie. Even tracing whereabouts of
a person through his or her selfies is also a matter for social recognition and not a matter of
surveillance.
Conclusion
Selfies, although being an individual act is a social product. The individual maintains a social identity
through constant interactions with others through his self image. He or she is in control of the image,
yet, is aware of the socially approved ways of expression and what others expect of him or her.
Images do tell a story------- and such story becomes a mode of expression and also conforming to the
approved ways of behavior. The highs of life, or any remarkable event or achievement is personified,
which is celebrated socially. Therefore, selfies have inevitably become a sensation as convincing
public or group and winning their positive approval has become easier, though obviously with much
makeover of images. Our temporal identities are surrendered for the sake of becoming more stylized,
quantified and distributed in social networking sites. It is also indicative of the power that camera and
network have over us.
The study is expected to provide a new food for thought in the sociological research, despite having
limitations in scope, time and money. It is expected to provide an example of the significance of
visual sociology. Another interesting facet of study can be to understand selfie from the point of view
of sociology of body. Objectification and surveillance thorough sharing selfies is yet another way of
studying self-images. Studies involving quantitative and qualitative approaches can be undertaken to
understand the phenomena better and also from other perspectives.

Bibliography
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 Bennett, Shia.2014. The year of selfie----- stats, facts and figures. www. mediabistro.com
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knowledge. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
 Cuff, E.C., Sharrock W.W. and D.W. Francis. 1998. Perspectives in sociology. Routledge, London.
 Dewey Caitlin.2014. The surprising sociology of selfies.www. washingtonpost.com/blogs.
 Goffman, Erving. 1959. Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Penguin Books. England.
 Harad, Tejas. 2014. I, Me, My selfie. Economic and Political Weekly. vol-XLIX, NO.-2.
 Harper, Douglas.1988. Visual Sociology: Expanding sociological vision. The American
Sociologist/Spring.
 Has, Ibrahim. 2014. Social researches and projects on selfie. www. academia.uk.
 Hess, Beth B. 1992. Sociology-brief introduction. Macmillan.New York.
 Kaufman, Peter.2014. A sociological snapshot of selfies. www. everydaysociologyblog.com
 Kesavan, Mukul. 2014. Talking to my selfie. Outlook. VOL- LIV, NO.- 43.
 Leal, caroline. 2013. Me, Myself and My selfie. www. worldmag.com
 Palmer, Nathan. 2014. The presentation of selfie. www. sociologyinfocus.com
 Stock, Tim. 2014. Analyzing Selfies. www. slideshare.net
 Wendt, Brooke.2014. The Allure of The Selfie: Instagram and the new self portrait.
EDULIGHT – International, Multidisciplinary, Biannual,
Peer Reviewed Journal [ISSN: 2278-9545] has been publishing
under the aegis of the COUNCIL OF EDULIGHT since 2012.
The Deadline for Submission of the Articles for the
forthcoming issue of EDULIGHT JOURNAL is 31st March,
2016. E-mail: mondalajit.edn@gmail.com

Can Myths Relate to the Problems of Indian Women?
Dipanwita Chakrabarty
Assistant Professor, School of Management & Social Science, Haldia Institute of
Technology, West Bengal, E-mail: dipanwita.chakrabarty@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Indian Mythology recognizes the influence of Goddesses worshipping them for power, wealth and wisdom,
which are the milestones for a civilization. Myths say how Indian women stood against evil attack, took
revolutionary steps against social custom by establishing their stake in the society, how they played important
role in taking strategic decisions and administrating people and how they contributed to education, music, art
and culture. Modern Indian women are taking part in politics, defense, games, and education, cultural extends
etc. But there is a dilemma whether the problems of women, which they have been suffering from a long past,
have solved or not. This paper makes a bridge between myths and current issues related to women to judge
whether myths can suggest any solution for the recent problems.
Key Words: Mythology, Indian Woman, Recent Problems
1. Introduction
Indian Mythology focuses on the power, creativity and wisdom of women. Although the major Gods
are empowered with different responsibilities and vital qualities, Goddesses are not ignored beside
them; rather they shared the glory of success equally. Not only in India, Goddesses are recognized for
their power and quality across the world, e.g., Middle East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Japan etc.
Greek Goddess Ethena, Roman Goddess Minerva, Chinese Goddess Kuanyin are the symbol of
bravery, education and agriculture, which are considered as the basic requirement for uplifting of a
civilization Dutt, (Romesh C., 1899).
Besides the enlighten part, Indian Myths talk about the exploitation, ignorance and under
recognition of women. The struggle for establishing self identification is also visible. In fact, the cycle
of recognition and insulations came one after another for Indian women from mythology to modern
time (Roudrigues, Hillary, 2005).
In early Vedic era, the society used to recognise a child with the name of his mother. It
changed thereafter and identity of father became essential. While judging the stake of Indian women
from mythology to current scenario, many peaks and downfalls can be viewed. We can see the
enlightened as well as the dark shades of status of women nowadays. One side of the coin shows
bright colours of education, cultural progress, social recognition, creative contribution, awareness of
rights, ability to face the challenges, leadership efficiencies, command on knowledge in diversified
fields and the other side of the coin reflects injustice, exploitation, illiteracy, ignorance, unawareness
about the basic rights etc. Myths says that the empowerment of women never happened with a one
way effort, rather, men and women gave immense support to each other to make a healthy society and
therefore, destroy all evil activities. The basis of this cohesiveness was mutual respect, lack of which
may cause violence on women. In spite of making achievements in versatile areas, women are scared
for their security and often under recognised within the society (Narayanan, Vasudha, 2002). In this
paper, we have tried to find out not only the similarities and dissimilarities within myths and current
happenings but also emphasised to find out the truth beneath the changes.
2. Motivation
The stake of women in the society cannot be solely established by raising voice, implementing laws,
punishing people. The resolution should come from the inner soul, which can be done by making
people conscious about some social practice. It is said, that no problem is new. Therefore, the solution

can be dig out by studying the old happenings described in different myths of a society. Thus, the
motivation of this paper is to understand the common problems regarding women and try to find out
the answers from the popular myths.
3. Women in Indian Mythology
Indian Mythology reveals different layers of women status. Krishna and Balarama, two famous
mythological characters went to Mathura for dethroning Kangsa, the King. But role of Radha, the
heroine of the myth was ignored in this venture. Again, Draupodi, the empress of Indraprastha, was
insulted by Duryadhan, the prince of Hastinapur, in front of the others. Draupodi was sexually abused
and the law and order of Hastinapur remained silent in doing justice to her. Not only this, Draupodi
had five husbands, whom she was forced to marry. According to the custom of that time, Arjuna, the
third Pandava, was chosen by Draupodi as her husband. But, later on the situation treated her as a
commodity and she was compelled to accept the marriage with remaining four brothers (Romesh C.,
1899).
The myths say that the ancient kings used to win over assets, lands, domestic animals as well
as the queens of the previous king at the time of battle. This reflects that people used to consider
women as an asset and the only use of the women was giving birth to the children. Exceptions were
also there, which cannot be ignored. Women like Gargi, Maitreyi was recognised for their unparallel
wisdom and their influence on the society was greatly acknowledged (Roudrigues, Hillary, 2005).
Thus, the recent problems are nothing but old wine in a new bottle. Let us now consider some
dimensions based on which we can study and compare the scenario of myths as well as present
incidents.
4. Dimensions
In our study, we have considered four major dimensions of women – social revolution, violence
against women, managerial skill and women as a cultural pioneer.
a) Social Revolution: Jabala, a poor village lady, was forced to be mother. She was unable to her
son Satyakam her identity when Satyakam went to ‘Gurugriha” to have education. Jabala was
brave enough to face the truth and to stand against the social practice where the identification of
father was mandatory. She was capable to establish her right as a single mother. Jabala is a
popular woman character in Indian Mythology. Let us consider the present situation now (Müller,
Max, 1879). According to U/S 11, prior consent of the biological father is necessary to get a
mother sole guardianship. U/S 19 discourages sole guardianship of a mother in presence of the
biological father of the child.
On July 6, the Supreme Court gave a verdict in favour of a single mother saying (Rajagopal, K.D.,
The Hindu) “In situations where the father has not exhibited any concern for his offspring, giving
him legal recognition would be an exercise in futility. In today’s society, where women are
increasingly choosing to raise their children alone, we see no purpose in imposing an unwilling
and unconcerned father on an otherwise viable family nucleus,” (according to a Bench of Justices
Vikramjit Sen and A.M. Sapre, ). Thus, in the Vedic era, the problem of single motherhood was
solved by giving the child a sole identification of mother. The practice was turned down thereafter
and after a long time the resurrection of the same event held.
b) Violence against women Injustice and violence is not new for Indian women. Sita, the queen of
Ayodhya, was separated by her husband Rama for outside interference of the residents of the
country. Sita, was attacked by the King of Lanka, Ravana, and was captive in his house for a long
time, for which she was not responsible anyway. But, after she got released from Ravana, the

society could not accept her. Seems the situation has not changed a lot even after so many years
(Narayanan, Vasudha, 2002).
Some Recent Violence against Women (wikipedia.org)
i. Women are murdered or forced to commit suicide for a dispute over their dowry
Year Reported Dowry Deaths
2008 8,172
2009 8,383
2010 8,391
2011 8,618
2012 8,233
ii) An honour killing is most prominent in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. In this case, family murders member who brings
dishonor and shame upon the family.
iii) Women, especially in the backward areas get murdered in doubt of practicing Witchcraft.
iv) Female infanticide: A newborn female child is killed through sex-selective abortion. In India,
this is a common belief, that son will bring incentive and security and daughters are liabilities as lot of
financial burden will be there with a daughter to pay dowry at the time of her marriage.
v) One of the most common crimes against women in India is Rape. Every 29 minutes a rape occurs
in India.
Year Reported rapes
2008 21,467
2009 21,397
2010 22,172
2011 24,206
2012 24,923
Apart from this, the case of human trafficking, domestic violence and forced prostitution are there.
Thus, this is evident that from medieval age violence against women has been continued and no
constructive solution could figure out.
c) Managerial Skill: Durga, the famous Goddesses has ten hands which can be symbolised as her
capacity to do multiple jobs, manage multiple work stations and expertise in multiple arenas. All
of these show an excellent managerial skill (Narayanan, Vasudha, 2002).
We have a hand full of names of Indian women who have shown their managerial efficiencies
successfully (wikipedia.org):
 Archana Bhargava, Chairman and Managing Director, United Bank of India
 Archana Hingorani, CEO of IL&FS Investment Managers Limited
 Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson, State Bank of India (Oct 7,2013 onwards)

 Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank MD and CEO (4th in Fortune's 50 Most powerful Women in the
World-2013).
 Chitra Ramkrishna, Managing Director & CEO, National Stock Exchange of India (17th in
Fortune's 50 most powerful Women in the World-2013).
 Kalpana Morparia, CEO of South Asia and India Operations at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
 Kaku Nakhate, President and Country Head (India), Bank of America Merrill Lynch
 Naina Lal Kidwai, Group General Manager and Country Head of HSBC India.(40th in Fortune's
50 Most powerful Women in the World-2013).
 Renu Sud Karnad, MD of HDFC
 Renuka Ramnath, founder of Multiples Alternate Asset Management
d) Women as a cultural pioneer
Saraswati is being considered as the Goddess of education, music and culture. She is being recognized
as a pioneer of wisdom and culture in ancient India. In present, Indian women has shown talent in
different cultural arenas. Ashvini Yardi is the Programming Head of TV channel Colors. Chiki Sarkar
is a lady publisher in Penguin Books India. Ekta Kapoor is a famous film maker (wikipedia.org).
Thus, if given chances, women can do miracles in the cultural world.
5. Conclusion
It is said that history repeats. So if we start from early Vedic era to modern time we can see same time
of incidents has been happening in different time period in different situation with different people.
But, the repetition of a same adverse event makes it evident that the roots of the problems are ignored.
We cannot avoid the truth by making documentations. Women are suffering because of disrespect and
dishonour. The Vedic people could understand the underlying reality. They made some chanting
where they praised women by giving them respect and recognition that they deserve. They put it in
the form of religion and believe, so that people follow it from their own. History teaches us that
people can be motivated in their highest extent by penetrating in their religion and social believes.
But, though the problem repeats, the solution cannot be imitated, rather can be followed keeping in
mind the changes in the socio cultural platform. The myths can be a good guideline to handle the
worse situation and can be implemented successfully by considering the psychological, demographic,
political and economic changes.
References:
 Dutt, Romesh C. (1899): The Ramayana and Mahabharata URL:
http://www.sacredtexts.com/hin/dutt/ [16.08.2015].
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_businesswomen [16.08.2015].
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_women_in_India [16.08.2015].
 Müller, Max (1879): The Upanishads, Part 1 (SBE01), URL http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/
sbe01/index.html [16.08.2015].
 Narayanan, Vasudha (2002) “Hinduism”, Her voice, her faith. Arvind Sharma and Katherine K.
Young (editors), Oxford, West view Press.

 Parthasarathy, Avula (1992): Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Volume 1-3. Bombay.
 Rajagopal, K.D.(2015), Unwed mother can be sole guardian: Supreme Court, The Hindu, July,6.
 Ray, Raka (1999) Fields of protest. Women’s movements in India. Minneapolis, University of
Minnesota Press.
 Roudrigues, Hillary (2005) “Women in the worship of the great goddesses”, Goddesses and women
in the Indic religious tradition. Arvind Sharma (editor), Boston, Brill.
Peer Reviewed Journal [ISSN: 2278-9545] has been
publishing under the aegis of the COUNCIL
OF EDULIGHT since 2012. The Deadline for
Submission of the Articles for the forthcoming issue
of EDULIGHT JOURNAL, is 31st March, 2016.
E-mail: mondalajit.edn@gmail.com

Educational Programs for Developing Values ---- A New Perspective
Diptiman Ghosh
Assistant Professor, Nikhil Banga Sikshan Mahavidyalaya
Bishnupur, Bankura, Pin- 722122, West Bengal, E-mail: dgnbsm@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The object of the present paper is to discuss about educational programs for developing values among the
students. In our ever changing world values are rapidly eroding from human life. Corruption, nepotism and
bribery have infected almost every field of our national life. Sensitive minds of the young generations
particularly students are suffering from self-reliance, self –respect as well as insecurity. A right type of man
equipped with proper value can play a productive role in society and in this way human being can get rid of
infectious diseases like valueless heart, valueless mind and valueless education. Since we know that ‘the destiny
of India is being made in her class rooms’ the basic components of eternal values like Honesty, Kindness,
Sympathy, Empathy, Fellow-feeling, Loyalty, Courage, Courtesy, Respect, Responsibility and Perseverance
should be imbibed within future citizens. Education of the intellect divorced from moral values is harmful to
human progress. We know education enables us to judge what is good or what is bad. Such values like co-
operation, discipline, honesty and fraternity along with cultural and social values should be inculcated among
the students. Actually proper type of value education can serve as a remedy to the alarming situation. Sense of
aesthetic values can be developed in children and community service programs may be undertaken in school.
Introduction
The present paper highlights value education and educational programs for developing values.
Generally, ‘value’ means the amount for which a thing can be exchanged in the open market. But
value may be defined as the factors which affect human behavior. What is good or beneficial to
individual or society has a value. In other words what is effective is valuable. In this context the
observation of the National Policy of Education (1986) may be quoted – “the growing concern over
the erosion of essential values and an increasing cynicism in society has brought to focus the need for
readjustments in the curriculum in order to make education a forceful tool for the cultivation of social
and moral values.” Value education enables the individual to synchronize all the essence and
excellence desirable for advancement of learning and march of man towards truth, goodness and
beauty. Value components particularly related to education may be identified as follows:
i. Truthfulness
ii. Goodness
iii. Beauty
iv. Honesty
v. Simplicity
vi. Austerity
vii. Economy
viii. Co-operation
ix. Fearlessness
x. Patience

xi. Love
xii. Kindness and Affection
xiii. Sympathy
xiv. Neighborliness
xv. Sacrifice.
The present paper is organized in five sections in which first section is introductory part. Section two
is devoted to the characteristics of value education. Section three is concerned with the study of need
of value education and section four consists of some educational programs for developing values. A
proper type of value education can serve as a crucial role to tackle the problem of value crisis.
2. Characteristics of Value education
The characteristics of value education may be enumerated as given below:
(a) Religion and philosophy are the basis of values. Truth, honesty, discipline and chastity are
taught by idealistic philosophy based on religions.
(b) Values are permanent and universal.
(c) In different views values are changed in different times. Man is constantly creating and
recreating values in life. So it may be called as man- made, changing and relative.
(d) Some values like truth, honesty, kindness are desired by every community.
(e) The existence and the qualitative standard of society depend on the sense of values.
(f) Value is centralized and integrated psycho-physical disposition of an individual.
(g) In the development of an individual social environment plays an important role. It is better to
say that the development of values depends greatly on social environment of an individual.
(h) Value brings equilibrium in human conduct. They remove behavioral contradictions in human
life.
(i) Values are mostly associated with emotion.
3. Need of Value Education
The Kothari Commission (1964-66) laid stress on moral and spiritual values; --“The expanding
knowledge and the growing power which it places at the disposal of modern society must, therefore
be combined with the strengthening and deepening of the sense of social-responsibility and a keener
appreciation of moral and spiritual values”. Today human civilization is going through a very critical
situation owing to value crisis. There is dearth of true values in human life as well as human society.
Violence is the order of the day and present society is being characterized by fear, hatred, mistrust,
self aggression and corruption. It is true that a nation’s rise and fall is determined by its value system.
Only a proper type of value education can serve as remedy to these diseases. Values are needed for
the following purposes:
(a) Values related to human rights and democracy:
 Justice

 Dignity
 Equality
 Freedom of religious belief
 Freedom of speech and expression
(b) Values related to co-operation and solidarity:
 Mutual understanding, co-operation and respect among individuals and societies
 Interdependence of all people
 The belief in peace and harmony
(c) Values related to self and others:
 Self awareness, self-reliance, self-esteem and self-discipline
 Respect and empathy to others
 Moral courage
 Trustworthiness, truthfulness, tolerance
(d) Values related to the protection of the environment:
 Promotion of a sustainable environment
 Commitment to protect the environment
 The interdependence of people and nature
(e) Values and attitudes related to spirituality:
 Freedom of thought, conscience and creed
 Mutual respect for the religious observances of others
 Aspiring to inner peace
The following qualities are required to develop the proper view point; ----
 For humanity
 For all religions and cultures
 For the country
 For the protection of environment
 For himself

4. Educational Programs for Developing Values
To make sensitive and ideal citizen following educational programs are to be undertaken:
 Developing the sense of national integration: Through history teaching the sense of integrity
and cohesiveness may be inculcated. A true picture of the composite culture of our country
should be presented before the pupils.
 Development of civic sense: Through civic study highest moral values-‘vasudhaiva
kutumbakam’ i.e. the sense whole of the earth is our family will be developed.
 Nurturing democratic values: Democratic values like liberty, equality, justice, co-operation,
religious neutrality have to be cultivated in the minds of children through education. In this
regard school administration should be more active and dynamic.
 Eradicating evil practices: The irrelevant practices related to conservatism and superstitions
should be rejected since the society is ever changing. Favorable attitudes should be imbibed
among the students in the new demands of life.
 Development of scientific attitudes: Science subjects help to understand the relation between
the cause and effect. It also develops various qualities e.g. self-discipline, perseverance,
cleanliness, ecological concerns etc. It also gives a scientific bent of mind among the students.
 Inclusion of co-curricular activities in the curriculum: The sense of value through the
following co-curricular activities may be inculcated:
 Prayers and meeting
 Observing National festivals
 Games and sports
 Birth day celebration of great men
 Annual functions
 Student’s parliament
 Dramatization
 NSS, NCC programs
 Environmental consciousness
 Community service programs
In addition to these, with the help of recitation, music, painting, dance etc., sense of aesthetic values
may be inculcated in the children.
Conclusion
In order to tackle the problem regarding crisis of value plan wise and effective educational
programmes must be launched without delay. The school environment must be favorable to the
development of values in children since the schools are regarded as the man-making factory. Kothari
Commission (1964-66) remarks, --“A serious defect in the school system is the absence of provision
for education in social, moral and spiritual values. A national system of education that is related to life

needs and aspirations of the people cannot afford to ignore this purposeful force.” It is crying need to
develop fundamental qualities in students like co-operation, affection, Courage, equality, ‘ahimsa’,
peace, brotherhood, integrity of labour, scientific temperament and spiritual power.
References:
 Aggarwal, J.C. (2001). Modern Indian Education: History, Development and Problems, Shipra
Publication.
 Chakrabarti, M. (1997). Value Education: Changing Perspectives, Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi.
 Chatterji, S. (2006). Principles and Practices of modern Education, Books and allied (p) Ltd. Kolkata.
 Mukherji, S.N. (1966). History of Education in India (modern period).
 Purkait, B.R. (1996). Principles and Practices of Education, New Central Book Agency (p) Ltd.,
Kolkata.
Peer Reviewed Journal [ISSN: 2278-9545] has
been publishing under the aegis of the COUNCIL
OF EDULIGHT since 2012. The Deadline for
Submission of the Articles for the forthcoming issue
of EDULIGHT JOURNAL, is 31st March, 2016.

Internet Use by Teachers: A Study in CBSE Schools
Dr. Biswajit Behera
Assistant Professor in Education, Dr. H.R.Gajawani College of Education, Gajwani Road,
Adipur, ADIPUR, Kutch, State - Gujarat, E-mail: biswa_dasapalla@yahoo.co.in
ABSTRACT
The initiative of ICT policy and paradigm shift of constructivism has inspired by the tremendous potential of
ICT for improving quality education. Again, ICT figured comprehensively in the norm of schooling
recommended by Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) in its report on Universal Secondary Education.
The significant role of ICT in school Education has also been highlighted in the National Curriculum
Framework 2005 (NCF-2005). For such emphasizes a study was undertaken to know the access of internet by
teachers and value the teachers with their teaching and professional responsibility. It was found that internet was
accountable as a valued resource in class room and valuable in students’ use in project activities. Hence, it
suggests that computer technology has emancipating effect on teachers who believe in learner-centered
practices.
Key Words: ICT, Internet Use, CBSE School Teacher
Introduction
The quality and efficiency of education depends on the quality of teachers. Emphasizing the role of
teachers, Kothari Commission (1964-66) had rightly stated that “of all the different factors which
influence the quality of education and its contribution to national development, the quality,
competence of teachers are undoubtedly the most significant”. A high quality teacher must be
professional in hisher work and responsibility. He must possess competence and confidence to deal
with the instructional work. Quality needs to be the central theme of curricular transaction. Therefore,
National Curriculum Framework-2005 has articulated certain areas of knowledge and experiences,
learning tasks and pedagogic practices that can promote participation, build self-confidence and
critical awareness among students to explore learning centered education. Computers and ICT have
become a significant part of instructional work. Improving access to hardware and software and
internet connectivity in schools is a priority. The teacher must nurture students’ learning of
information technology. Because schools and schooling are considered from the angle of digital age
(Behera, 2015).
ICT and Teaching-Learning process
Position Paper of NCF-2005 on Educational Technology (2006) has remarked that Educational
Technology is an agent of change in the class room, which includes not only the teacher and the
teaching-learning process but also systematic issues of quality. The qualitative improvement includes
the development of flexible systems, multi-level organization of classes, low cost teaching-learning
materials, innovative activities and continuous support system for the teacher training. Information
Communication Technology (ICT) have brought in a convergence of the media along with the
possibility of multi-centric participation in the content generation process.ICT connotes technologies.
There is a wide range of technologies (Box-1) that are included in ICT (Mukhopadhay, 2014).
Box-1: Technologies
Animation Internet Personal computer
Community Radio Internet recorder Personal digital computer
Computers Internet telephony Podcasting

Desktops Internet protocol Portals
Digital board Television Printers
Digital camera I-pod Radio
Digital pad I-Lab Television(DTH)
Digital stories Laptops Video
Digital video camera LCD projector Video Camera
Fax machine LAN Voice recorder
FM Radio Mobile Web
Interactive radio Movie telephone WAN
Interactive TV Note book Wi-Fi
Interactive Voice Network component Wi-Ki Wireless
Recognition system
Rationale
ICT has played a significant role in changing the modalities of teaching and learning and hence the
role of the teacher. This is not to say that the advancement of technology use in the classroom changes
the role of the teacher. It cannot be said that teachers do not think that they will teach differently with
computers. Savery (2002) noticed that teachers felt comfortable using technology such as E-mail,
OHP, Multi-Media projectors and Videos. When teachers use web based learning tools as part of their
lessons, they perceive that their students are more successful during engagement in activities.
Considering the approach of teaching-learning process, Wang (2002) in a study found that teachers
find their roles as being more teacher-centered and less student centered in class rooms that did not
have computers.
There is a lot of research on the views of teacher’s about use of technology in the classroom.
According to Cope and Ward (2002), experienced teachers who had little or no professional
development in the use of technology were less likely to use it in the class room and were less likely
to see the benefit of technology usage in the class room. Royer (2002) found that the more teachers
were involved in actually setting up class room technology the more likely they were to use that
technology for instruction. So, it is very important for teachers to have knowledge of ICT. However,
many teachers in schools lack the proficiency needed to take advantage of these new technologies and
bring them into the daily classroom learning experience. Further, the need of ICT on the teaching-
learning process due to potential impact of practice of constructivist pedagogy is also felt.
Objectives
Therefore, a study was undertaken with a focus on internet use by school teachers pertaining to the
following objectives:
1) To know access of school teachers towards the internet
2) To know the frequency of use of internet in the class room by the teachers
3) To examine teachers value by teaching responsibility through use of technology
4) To examine teachers value by professional experience through use of technology

Sample
All the secondary teachers working in CBSE schools under Gandhidham Block of Gujarat were
chosen for this study. The study sample was Ninety Nine in number.
Results
Objective-1: Teachers’ Access to the Internet
It was found that the provision of computer with internet facility is given in all schools in the ratio of
1:10:1 i.e. one computer for 10 numbers of students under the guidance of one teacher.
Approximately 10% of teachers have internet connection through Local Area Network (LAN) in the
school. No school campus with Wi-Fi enabled was found. Moreover, a majority of teachers (87%)
have internet access both at home and school and only 13% have no access at home.
Objective-2: Frequency of Different Internet Uses
Teachers use internet in preparing their lessons (Lesson plans), carrying out teaching-learning
process, communicating teachers from other schools for professional growth and preparing student
projects
2.1 Use in Lesson preparation
It was found that majority of teachers (62%) use the internet to find videos for use in their lessons.
Both home and classroom access were frequently used on a weekly basis.
2.2 Carrying out teaching-learning process
No teachers were posting information and feedback on the web site about students’ work. Only
Student supported suggestions and learning materials by the teachers were found on the electronic
mail or web site. Class room collaboration, visual class room learning etc. were never experienced by
the teachers.
2.3 Communication towards Professional Growth
A very few teachers (18%) were acquainted with E-mailing with their colleagues and teachers of other
schools. Teachers never use the Electronic Web for information gathering about their training or
capacity building programme and for research. School networking websites like Face Book and
what’s App through mobile were frequently used by them.
2.4 Preparing Student Projects
Students’ project work was linked into their school subjects. The instruction by some teachers with
the assistance of computer was given to students to complete the project work. It was not possible for
all the times for all students but some teachers had initiation to involve him/her into the project work
with the students.
Objective-3: Teaching Responsibilities and Internet Use
Teachers used computer sometimes to show videos in science and social Studies like subjects. It is
experienced that computer class teachers had greater linkage towards use of computers because
students prepared their projects in the computer laboratory only. Most teachers used computers in
some way with their students. Sometimes teachers engaged the students in the computer class in
finding materials related to Quiz, Essay and other co-curricular activities. The duration of teachers’
use of computers was in an average of 1 hour daily.

Objective-4: Teachers Value by Professional Experience
4.1 Years of Teaching Experience
Teachers’ experience in teaching a particular subject was found within 4-5 years. Their education in
computer and experience in technology were also not significant towards contribution of
professionalism. They are young but computer-savvy teachers
4.2 Educational Background-Grade/Division; Advanced course work
On examination of educational backgrounds, it was found that all teachers were Graduate in
concerned subject. Only 2% of teachers had completed their post Graduation and 70% of teachers
were computer literate with certificate or diploma degree in computer course.
Discussion
Certainly teachers have to have access to the internet either at home or somewhere in school. Teachers
with internet access had stronger beliefs about the need for the internet in their teaching. For student
use, teachers with internet access in their own class room were much more likely to assign students to
do work on the internet. All subject teachers had students’ use for gathering information on school
projects and co-curricular activities. This caused to increase the height of academic performance in
the school. Therefore, teachers should develop computer competencies about file handling, setting up
database files, using word-processors, presentation software, hypermedia authoring program and web
search engine. This knowledge could help to use class room internet access better which is essential to
the teaching-learning process.
The use of internet is a vehicle for teachers to carry out learner centered practices. It can bring
major changes in how teachers teach students. It supports to understand how students learn and gives
a new perspective on what it is important for students to know. The emerging paradigm shift of
constructivist pedagogy involves how students work on projects, often in groups or often in different
groups. In this approach, students learn skills and concepts in the context of using them to do
something: in making a product. These projects follow from a constructivist theory of learning which
suggests that subject matter becomes meaningful and therefore enjoyable, only when it is used in
context-rich activities. Students’ own responsibility for designing their own tasks, for finalizing the
method of solving a problem and for assessing their own work-all were the means of making learning
tasks more meaningful to students. Therefore, teacher’s expertise in computer strongly affects towards
good teaching. It brings professionalism in classroom connectivity. Thus, internet was accountable as
a valued resource in class room and valuable in students’ use in project activities, in particular.
Implication
The present day teaching profession requires that each teacher works independently to plan and direct
the learning of their own class. It can be possible by mentoring novice/ less experienced teachers,
leading workshops for disseminating new ideas or writing and publishing for other teachers,
discussion about how to teach a concept or idea to a group of students. It will be an endeavor to create
an environment of collaboration, co-operation and sharing, conducive to the creation of a demand for
optimal utilization of and optimum returns on the potentials of ICT in education. It suggests that
computer technology has emancipating effect on teachers who believe in learner-centered practices.
Thus, building up the computer expertise among teachers of school is needed in the creation of a
collaborative professional culture.

References
 Behera, B. (2015) Technology in the assessment of Student’s learning. In Nikose, R.L. (Eds.)
Educational Technology, 179-189. APH Publishing Corporation, New Delhi
 Cope, C. & Ward, P. (2002) Integrating learning technology into the classrooms: The importance of
teachers’ perceptions. Educational Technology and Society, 5, 67-74.
 Kothari, D.S. (1966) (Chairman) Report of the Education Commission 1964-66, Govt. of India, New
Delhi.
 Mukhopadhyay, M. (2014) Universal quality school education and role of ICT, Lecture delivered at
Central Institute of Educational Technology, NCERT, New Delhi
 NCERT (2005) National curriculum Framework. Author, New Delhi
 NCERT (2006) Position Paper on Educational Technology. Author, New Delhi
 Royer,R. (2002). Supporting technology integration through action research. Clearing House, 75,233.
 Savery, J.R. (2002) Faculty and student perceptions of technology integration in teaching. Journal of
interactive on line Learning, 1(2), 1-16.
 Wang, Y. (2002) when technology meets beliefs: Pre-service teacher’s perception of the teacher’s role
in the classroom with computers. Journal of research on Technology in Education, 35, 150.
EDULIGHT – International, Multidisciplinary,
Biannual, Peer Reviewed Journal [ISSN: 2278-9545]
has been publishing under the aegis of the
COUNCIL OF EDULIGHT since 2012. The Deadline
for Submission of the Articles for the forthcoming
issue of EDULIGHT JOURNAL is 31st March, 2016.

Philosophy of Ancient Chinese Thinker Mencius and its Relevance in Modern Day
Dr. Jayashree Medda (Khan)
Ex Research scholar, Department of Education, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal,
India, E-mail: jayashreemedda@yahoo.co.in
ABSTRACT
Among the great thinkers of Ancient China ,Mencius was one of the most renowned philosopher whose
thoughts on human nature, society, moral principles, criteria and quality of a good leader through proper
education, social development of a pupil though uprightness, continue to inspire modern thoughts in social,
political and educational scenario. The present paper intends to make a detail study about the philosophical
thought of Mencius and its relevance with the present day.
Introduction:
China has a complete set of comprehensive and profound classical philosophies. As China's
mainstream ideology, Confucianism represented by Confucius and Mencius, Taoism represented by
Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, and the Buddhist philosophy merged into the Chinese culture, have exerted the
most significant influence upon the Chinese nation in the progress of its long history.1
Objectives of the study
 To make a detail study about the philosophical thought of Mencius.
 To discuss about its relevance with the present day.
Research Methodology
The present paper has been developed on the basis of secondary literature available on the subject.
The paper has incorporated findings from various reports, websites, books, research papers, and other
sources. A descriptive approach of research methodology has been followed along with a concluding
discussion at the end.
The Philosophy of Mencius
Mencius (372-289 B.C.), or Meng Zi, was a Confucian disciple who made major contributions to the
humanism of Confucian thought. Mencius declared that man was by nature good. He believed that
men possessed the beginnings of the four cardinal virtues of jen (benevolence), yi (righteousness), li
(propriety), and ..chih (wisdom), which when developed could produce a sage-king. "These (virtues)
are not fused into us from without," he would say. "We originally are possessed of them. . . Hence I
say, 'Seek and you will find them; neglect and you will lose them,'" The thing that distinguishes man
from other animals, he argued, is his Heaven-bestowed mind and faculty of thinking and
remembering, which must be developed as he grows. Hence is the need for education. The cultivated
man has improved his mind and thereby made himself great, for reason is the essence of ‘human
nature.’
Human nature follows the good as water seeks the lower level," Mencius said pointing out
that the--moral consciousness in different persons differs only in degree, not in kind. Just so, he
averred, "the Sages belong to the same species as ourselves. . . . Therefore, 1 say, there is a common
love for flavors in our mouths, a common sense for sounds in our ears, and a common sense for
1
www.China HotSchools.com, 2005

beauty in our eyes, why then do we refuse to admit that there is something common in our souls also?
What is that thing that we have in common in our souls? It is reason and a sense of right."
Believing that all men have a mind which cannot bear to witness the sufferings of others,
Mencius reasoned that such a feeling of commiseration could be made the basis of good government:
"If one extend one's kindliness to others, it will suffice to protect all within the four seas. If one does
not extend this kindliness, it will be insufficient to protect one's own wife and children."
He expostulated the idea that a ruler could not govern without the people's tacit consent and
that the penalty for unpopular, despotic rule was the loss of the "mandate of heaven." a new system of
authority which they called t'ien ming, The Mandate of Heaven is probably the most critical social and
political concept in Chinese culture. According to the concept kingship is defined as an intermediary
position between heaven and earth. Heaven ("t'ien") desires that humans be provided for in all their
needs, and the emperor, according to the idea of "t'ien ming" is appointed by heaven to see to the
welfare of the people. This is the "Decree" or "Mandate" of heaven. If the emperor or king, having
fallen into selfishness and corruption, fails to see to the welfare of the people, heaven withdraws its
mandate and invests it in another. The only way to know that the mandate has passed is the overthrow
of the king or emperor; if usurpation succeeds, then the mandate has passed to another, but if it fails,
then the mandate still resides with the king. The mandate explains historical change, but also provides
a profound moral theory of government that is based on the selfless dedication of the ruler to the
benefit of the general population.
The Goodness and Rationality of Human Nature
As leader of the "idealistic wing" of Confucianism, Mencius held the "orthodox" Confucian view that
human nature is essentially good, while Hsun Tzu, as leader of the "naturalistic wing," viewed it as
basically evil. Consequently, the two differed in their approaches to the problem of inculcating proper
habits in young men. Mencius maintained there was enough universal quality in the human mind on
which to base an appeal for unity in human affairs. He felt that if their moral sense could be given full
development, men's contacts with one another would bring out their best personalities.
On the other hand, Mencius did not claim that men's natures were entirely good. Where
Confucius had limited himself to an exposition of the meaning of such virtues as benevolence,
conscientiousness, and mutuality or altruism, as applied to in individuals, Mencius extended their
application to society and government. In other words, whereas Confucius was chiefly interested in
producing the Inner Sage: Mencius wished also to produce the 'Outer King: He stressed filial piety as
the greatest of all virtues, because it made for harmony in all social relationships, Moreover, by
making jen the basis of society and yi the basis of politics, Mencius gave a psychological basis for
humanism which marked a decided advance and influenced all later neo-Confucian thought.
The Cultivation of the Higher Life
As a mountain loses its beauty if all its trees are hacked down, so a human soul may lose its love and
righteousness if hacked daily by adverse circumstances until it is reduced to the level of the beasts,
True character will grow only by adequate, concentrated cultivation. To carry this line of thought still
further, Mencius went on to say: "All people have the common desire to be elevated in honor, but all
people have something still more elevated in themselves without knowing it." (meaning that true
nobility is not. given from without) '"
Defense of Freedom of Thought and Spiritual Aspiration
If men are to develop their rational nature, they must, according to Mencius, be given the individual
right to use their own minds in an independent way of thinking. Such a theory would almost

inevitably bring them into conflict with tradition and its time-honored rules of etiquette." Mencius,
therefore, made allowance for changing times and conditions when he said:
"Acts of propriety which are not really proper and acts of righteousness that are not really
righteous, the great man does not do." . . . "The path of virtue should be followed without any bend,
and not to seek emolument. . . The Superior Man simply follows the law (of right) and then waits for
his Fate."
In some of the sayings of Mencius, there is even a slight suggestion of the mystic speaking, as
for example in the passage: "Wherever the Superior Man passes through, transformation follows;
wherever he abides, there is a spiritualizing influence. This flows abroad, above and below together
with Heaven and Earth"
Promotion of Agrarian Policies
As an agrarian economist, Mencius was well ahead of his time. Since agriculture was practically the
only form of production, he advocated an equalization of land distribution and ownership. He
sponsored what was known as the ’well-field’ system, whereby a square of land was subdivided into
nine lots (three rows of three each), each of 100 mow, the central lot being the 'state farm.' A family
was allotted one of the eight lots and the eight families joined in cultivating the ninth or central lot
(with the common well upon it) as their means of paying off the state's land tax. Thus a peaceful,
cooperative rural life would be assured and the state tax would not become a burden to anyone. Since
the whole concern of government was the contentment and moral uplift of the people, if it failed to
insure that, then, according to Mencius, revolution was in order.
That his agrarian policy was acceptable to the nobles is very doubtful, because of the
socialistic twist which Mencius gave to the old well-field system. In earlier days, all the land had been
thought of as belonging to the nobility, for whom the peasantry farmed as tenants. But Mencius held
that the land, being the public property of the state should be parceled out to the people who actually
cultivated it. Thereby, they became freeholders, paying their tax to the state with produce from the
public field. In this way he sought to make the rulers feel their responsibility for ensuring economic
security to the common people.As the following passages indicate, his mind constantly worked on the
problem of livelihood for the rural population.
“If the seasons for farming are not interfered with (by warfare), the grain will be more than
can be eaten. If close-meshed nets are not allowed to enter the pools and ponds, the fish and turtles
will be more than can be consumed. If axes and bills enter the mountain forests only at the proper
time, the wood will be more than can be used. When grain, fish, and turtles are more than can be
eaten, and there is more wood, than can be used, the people are enabled to nourish their living and
bury them dead without any dissatisfaction. This nourishing of the living and burying of the dead
without any dissatisfaction marks the beginning of the Kingly Way."
"Let mulberry trees be planted around five-acre home-steaks, and persons of fifty years may
be clothed with silk. In rearing fowls, pigs, dogs, and swine, do not neglect their times (for breeding),
and persons of seventy years may eat meat. Do not take away the time proper for the cultivation of a
farm of one hundred acres, and its family of several mouths will not suffer from hunger."
"Let careful attention be paid to education in the schools, with stress on the inculcation of
filial piety and fraternal duty, and there will be no gray-haired men on the roads carrying burdens on
their backs or heads. There has never been a case of one who did not become a (real) king when
(under his rule) persons of seventy wore silk and ate meat, and the common people suffered neither
from hunger nor cold."

Edulight volume 4, issue - 8, nov 2015

Edulight volume 4, issue - 8, nov 2015

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